Much of the southwestern United States has seen below-average amounts of snow fall so far during Winter. While currently impacting ski resorts across the region, the lack of snow could bring even greater problems to water resources later this year.

Like plants on land, single-celled ocean plants (phytoplankton) bloom and die with the seasons. This animation shows monthly concentrations of chlorophyll in the North Pacific Ocean from summer 2002 through 2015.